Verstappen won his maiden title in2021 after overtakingLewis Hamilton on the final lap of thelast race of the season, becoming thefirst World Drivers' Champion from the Netherlands. Verstappen won the next two championships in2022 and2023, overturning the largest points deficit in Formula One history in the former and breaking numerous records across both seasons.[c] He secured his fourth consecutive title in2024 after winning nine Grands Prix, including a widely acclaimed wet-weather performance inSão Paulo, to become the first driver to win the championship driving for a third-placed constructor in41 years.
Max Emilian Verstappen was born on 30 September 1997 inHasselt, Belgium toJos Verstappen andSophie Kumpen.[3][4] Verstappen's parents separated when he was young, after which he lived with his father. His younger sister, Victoria, lived with their mother.[5] Verstappen has three younger half-siblings from his father: a sister from Jos's second marriage and a brother and sister from Jos's current marriage.[6]
His family has a long association with motor sports: his father is a Dutch former Formula One driver, his Belgian mother competed inkarting,[7][8] and his first cousin once removed,Anthony Kumpen, competed in endurance racing and is a two-timeNASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion currently serving as the team manager forPK Carsport in Euro Series.[7] Verstappen initially attended a secondary school inMaaseik, before moving intoprivate tutoring; he admitted that he used toleave class early to attend races across Europe with his father.[9] He also attended the secondarytopsport-talentschool TTS Trevianum in the dutch city ofSittard[10].
Junior racing career
Karting (2005–2013)
2005–2009: Dominance in national championships
Verstappen started racing in karts at the age of four and competing in championships at the age of seven. In 2005 he competed in the Mini Junior championship of his home province ofLimburg, Belgium[11] and won theVAS Championship in the same category. In 2006, he repeated his success. In 2007, Verstappen graduated to theRotax Max Mini Max class and won the Rotax Max Challenge Belgium[12] and the Dutch Championship[13] in that category. In 2008, racing in aCRG kart entered by his father, Verstappen won the Belgian Cadet Championship,[14] the Rotax Max Challenge Belgium,[15] and the Benelux Karting Series in Mini Max class.[16] In 2009, Verstappen joined Pex Racing, a CRG customer team. That year, he defended his titles in the Mini Max championships[17][18] and won the Belgian KF5 Championship.[19]
2010–2012: Entering the international karting scene
Verstappen was signed by CRG to race in their factory team and stepped up to international karting in 2010. At theKF3World Cup, Verstappen finished second to the more experiencedAlexander Albon (who eventually became his Formula One teammate at Red Bull Racing)[20] but beat him at theWSK Euro Series[21] and also won the WSK World Series, beatingRobert Vișoiu.[22] He finished fifth in theEuropean Championship and won the WSK Nations Cup[23] as well as the final of the Bridgestone Cup where during a 28 laps' race in the rain he beatDennis Olsen by over 11 seconds.[24] In 2011, Verstappen won theWSK Euro Series ahead ofEsteban Ocon in aParilla-powered CRG kart.[25] However, it was not a successful year for him, as he finished 14th in theEuropean Championship and got taken out in theWorld Cup byCharles Leclerc.
In the following year, Verstappen joined the Intrepid Driver Program to race in theKF2 andKZ2 classes. He won theWSK Master Series in the KF2 class, beating the CRG driver Felice Tiene.[26] Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup in the KF2 class, beatingDennis Olsen andAntonio Fuoco.[27][28] He finished sixth in theWSK Euro Series.[29] He was the youngest driver taking part in the World Championship inKF1 class and finished eight.[30]
In July 2012, it was announced that Verstappen would leave Intrepid. After a short stint with CRG-builtZanardi karts, Verstappen returned to the factory CRG team.[31] He finished second at the World Cup in the KF2 class[32] and competed at the SKUSA SuperNationals in the KZ2 class in a CRG, finishing 21st.
2013: Record-breaking season
In 2013, Verstappen completed a record-breaking season in karting, having progressed to the seniorKF andKZ categories. Aged 15, he won threeCIK-FIA championships in a single season: twoEuropean Championships and aWorld Championship; an unprecedented feat in the history of the discipline.[33] He became the first driver since his fatherJos to win two European Championships in the same season, and the first to do so in both the primarydirect-drive andgearbox classes. By winning the 2013KZ World Championship atVarennes-sur-Allier, beatingCharles Leclerc to the title, Verstappen became the youngest-ever driver to win the gearbox World Championship.[34][35]
Further adding to his accolades in 2013, Verstappen also finished third at theKF World Championship after being disqualified for a move onNicklas Nielsen in the final race, having won the opening round and pre-final.[36] This was the only championship he failed to win in 2013 whilst completing all rounds. Verstappen won the South Garda Winter Cup inKF2,[37] as well as theWSK Euro Series and theWSK Super Master Series inKZ1 andKZ2, respectively.[38][39]
During the first practice session at the2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen replacedJean-Éric Vergne as part of his preparation for a full-time seat atToro Rosso in the2015 season.[55] Aged 17 years and three days, Verstappen was the youngest person in history to participate in a Formula One race weekend.[56] In August 2014, Verstappen joined theRed Bull Junior Team after testing a Formula Renault 3.5 car. He also considered an offer fromMercedes to join theirdriver development programme.[57]
Verstappen then became theyoungest driver to start a World Championship race through joining Toro Rosso's race drivers' line-up withCarlos Sainz as his teammate, in his Grand Prix debut as a full-time driver at the2015 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 17 years, 166 days—breakingJaime Alguersuari's existing record by almost two years.[58] In this first race, Verstappen ran in points-scoring positions until he was forced to retire due to an engine failure.[59] However, at the subsequent race inMalaysia, Verstappen qualified sixth and finished the race in seventh place, scoring his first Formula One points aged 17 years, 180 days, breaking the record of the then-youngest driver to score World Championship points.[60]
At the2015 Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen was involved in a high-speed collision withRomain Grosjean, after clipping the back of Grosjean'sLotus on the approach to the tight first corner, Sainte Devote, and crashed into the barriers at high speed.[61][62] Verstappen was given a five-place grid penalty for causing the accident, and was branded "dangerous" byWilliams driverFelipe Massa.[63]
Verstappen continued to regularly finish in the points as well as achieving his best finish of the 2015 season inHungary by finishing fourth,[64] and equalled this result at theUnited States Grand Prix.[65] At the end of the season, Verstappen received three awards at theFIA Prize Giving Ceremony, for "Rookie of the Year", "Personality of the Year" and "Action of the Year", for his overtake onFelipe Nasr on the outside of the Blanchimont corner at theBelgian Grand Prix.[66][67]
Verstappen began the 2016 season at Toro Rosso, again alongside Sainz.[68] Verstappen qualified fifth for the opening race of the season inAustralia, but during the race made several radio calls to his team due to frustration at being behind Sainz on track before Verstappen's Toro Rosso came into contact with his teammate's car whilst attempting to pass him with three laps to go, and he eventually finished tenth.[69] Verstappen enjoyed a more successful weekend at the following race inBahrain, finishing sixth to score Toro Rosso's first-ever points at the Sakhir circuit.[70]
Red Bull (2016–present)
2016: Youngest Grand Prix winner
Verstappen celebrating victory at the2016 Spanish Grand Prix, in his first race for the Red Bull Racing team
On 5 May 2016, following theRussian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing announced that Verstappen would be replacing Daniil Kvyat from theSpanish Grand Prix onwards, with Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso.[71] According to Red Bull Team PrincipalChristian Horner, "Max has proven to be an outstanding young talent. His performance at Toro Rosso has been impressive so far and we are pleased to give him the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing."[72] After qualifying fourth for the Spanish Grand Prix,[73] Verstappen rose to second behind teammateDaniel Ricciardo on the opening lap after Mercedes teammatesLewis Hamilton andNico Rosberg crashed out of the race.[74] Verstappen took the race lead as he was placed on a two-stop rather than the same three-stop strategy as Ricciardo, and he held offFerrari'sKimi Räikkönen in the later stages of the race to take his first Formula One victory.[75][76] By doing so he displacedSebastian Vettel as the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One Grand Prix at the age of 18 years and 228 days.[77]
In his first eight races with Red Bull, he achieved six top-five finishes, including four podiums.[78]
During theBelgian Grand Prix, Verstappen collided with Räikkönen at the first corner, pushed Vettel, Räikkönen and Pérez wide atLes Combes, and aggressively blocked Räikkönen on the Kemmel straight.[79] Verstappen was criticised for his driving, with Räikkönen saying that he was "going to cause a huge accident sooner or later." Christian Horner noted that the driving was "on the edge", and that Verstappen will "look at it and learn for future races."[80] In September, Formula One directorCharlie Whiting called in Verstappen for a discussion, and later gave him a 'gentle warning' due to his aggressive driving.[81] However, in October, drivers' concerns about Verstappen's defensive tactics led the FIA to disallow moving under braking.[82]
At the2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified fourth.[83] In a rain affected race, he almost hit the barrier after he slid on the main straight due to a loss of traction, causingoversteer.[84] After an additional tyre change from intermediates back to rain tyres, he ran in 16th place with just 15 laps remaining. Verstappen then made several overtakes in quick succession during the closing laps to eventually finish on the podium in third place.[85] He received considerable praise for his performance: rival team Mercedes' team principal,Toto Wolff, labelled it "The Verstappen Show", and described Verstappen's drive as "physics..being redefined".[86][87][88] However, Verstappen came under criticism from four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who stated that Verstappen had pushed him off the track at the Junção corner late in the race. The race stewards did not share Vettel's view and decided that no reprimand was warranted.[89]
2017–2018: Reliability issues and rise to prominence
During the first 14 races of the 2017 season, Verstappen suffered seven retirements, four due to mechanical issues,[90] and three due to first lap collisions inSpain,Austria andSingapore.[91] Of the races he finished, however, he claimed a third place inChina, and in another five races he finished fourth or fifth.[78]
From theMalaysian Grand Prix onward, Verstappen enjoyed a surge of success. He won his second Formula One race at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, a day after his 20th birthday, passing then three-time champion Lewis Hamilton for the lead in the early stages of the race.[92] He finished second in the followingrace in Japan.[93] He then finished third at theUnited States Grand Prix, but was classified fourth after his final lap overtake on Kimi Räikkönen was deemed illegal.[94] He won his third Formula One race at theMexican Grand Prix, after passingSebastian Vettel on the opening lap.[95]
In the first six races of the2018 season, Verstappen had been involved in at least one incident in each race. InAustralia, he qualified fourth but fell behindKevin Magnussen at the start.[96] In his attempts to retake the position he ran wide multiple times and damaged his car, with a spin causing him to fall further down the order. He recovered to eventually finish the race in sixth place.[97] At the next race inBahrain, he crashed during qualifying and started in 15th place.[98] He had a productive first lap after which he found himself in the points while challenging Lewis Hamilton. He attempted an overtake on the reigning World Champion at the start of lap two, but collided with the Mercedes driver and suffered a puncture that ultimately led to suspension damage, forcing him out of the race.[99]
At the next race inChina, Verstappen qualified fifth and had moved up to third at the end of the first lap.[100] Both Red Bull drivers pitted for fresh tyres during a safety car which left them with a tyre advantage over the front-runners ahead. In an overtake attempt onSebastian Vettel for third place, Verstappen collided with the championship leader, causing him to fall to eighth and receive a 10-second penalty.[101] He recovered to fourth place, with his penalty causing him to be classified fifth. Teammate Ricciardo went on to win the race.[102] InAzerbaijan, Verstappen was embroiled in a race-long battle with Ricciardo for fourth place. After numerous position changes between the two teammates during the race, Ricciardo ran into the back of Verstappen during an overtake attempt from which the Dutchman aggressively defended, causing the retirement of both cars.[103] Both drivers were blamed by the team and reprimanded by the stewards.[104] Verstappen bounced back inSpain with his first podium of the season by finishing third behind the Mercedes drivers, holding offSebastian Vettel. However, the race was also not without incident as he had run into the back ofLance Stroll during the virtual safety car period, causing minor front wing damage.[105]
InMonaco, Verstappen made another error and crashed near the end of the third free practice session in an incident which closely resembled a crash he had at the same spottwo years earlier.[106] His team could not repair his car in time for qualifying and Verstappen had to start the race from the back of the grid.[107] Verstappen did not compete and did not set a lap time in qualifying, therefore teammate Ricciardo pressed home Red Bull's advantage at the track by takingpole position and the race win. Verstappen managed to salvage two points by finishing ninth place, overtaking six cars on track.[108] Team principal Christian Horner commented on Verstappen's start of the season, saying he "needed to stop making these mistakes" and that he could "learn from his teammate", whileHelmut Marko, head of driver development at Red Bull, said that Verstappen was "too impatient".[107] Verstappen now lay in sixth place in the championship with 35 points, only three points ahead ofFernando Alonso in the McLaren, and 37 points behind his teammate in third, who had taken two wins in the first six races.[109][110]
InCanada, Verstappen topped all three practice sessions and qualified third, two-tenths off Sebastian Vettel in pole position.[111] He eventually finished third and set the fastest lap of the race.[112] The following race inFrance brought him second place.[113] InAustria—Red Bull's home track, he started fourth on the grid, passed Kimi Räikkönen before taking advantage of retirement fromValtteri Bottas and a botched pit-stop strategy by Lewis Hamilton, who later had to retire from fourth place, to claim the fourth race victory of his career.[114] InBritain, Verstappen was plagued by issues, finishing the first practice session early due to a gearbox problem and crashing in the second practice session before retiring from the race due to a brake problem.[115] He would then finish fourth inGermany after strategy errors let a recovering Hamilton get past him as he went on to win the race.[116] Verstappen ended the first half of the season with a retirement inHungary and was narrowly behind his teammate in the championship due to his own recent resurgence and Ricciardo's unreliability.[117][118]
Verstappen enjoyed a very strong second half of the season, achieving podium finishes inBelgium,Singapore,Japan and theUnited States, the latter of which he achieved second place having started from 18th on the grid due to a suspension failure in qualifying.[119] Following the qualifying session at theMexican Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed that a mechanical problem with his Red Bull under braking cost him any chance of becoming the youngest-ever Formula One pole-sitter. As a result, Ricciardo beat Verstappen to pole position by just 0.026 seconds.[120][121] Verstappen had a better start than Ricciardo and took the lead of the race into the first corner, overtaking the fast-starting Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen earned his fifth career win in Mexico.[122][123] He was poised to win the2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, having overtaken Räikkönen, Vettel, Bottas, and Hamilton. However, he collided withForce India driverEsteban Ocon who was trying to unlap himself on faster tyres.[124] Ocon received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the incident. After the collision with Ocon, Verstappen finished in second place behind Hamilton. During an argument with Ocon after the race, Verstappen pushed the Force India driver, for which he was given two days of "public service" as a penalty by the FIA.[125] He then finished his season with another podium as he finished third in Abu Dhabi.[126]
Verstappen ended the season in fourth place in the championship with 249 points, claiming two wins, eleven podium finishes, and two fastest laps.[127]
2019–2020: Dominance over teammates
Verstappen at the2019 Hungarian Grand Prix, where he started on pole position for the first time in his career
In2019 Red Bull switched from Renault toHonda power units.[128] After Ricciardo moved to theRenault team for 2019, Verstappen was joined at Red Bull byPierre Gasly.[129] Verstappen qualified in fourth and finished third inAustralia, the first podium finish for aHonda-powered driver since the2008 British Grand Prix.[130] Verstappen was on course for a second third-place finish inBahrain before a late safety car prevented him from overtaking Charles Leclerc's ailing Ferrari, keeping him in fourth place.[131] Two more fourth-place finishes followed inChina andAzerbaijan, and a podium inSpain in third place.[132][133][134] InMonaco, Verstappen qualified in third place. He was released into the path of Valtteri Bottas during the drivers' pit stops, gaining second place but receiving a 5-second penalty as a result. Verstappen crossed the line in second place but was demoted to fourth by the penalty.[135]
InCanada, Verstappen's final lap in the second qualifying session was hampered by a red flag brought out byKevin Magnussen's crash. This caused Verstappen to qualify 11th and start the race in ninth place.[136][137] He later recovered to finish fifth.[138] InFrance he started and finished in fourth place.[139] InAustria, Verstappen started third but suffered a poor start, dropping down to eighth. After a charge towards the front, he made his way up to second before controversially passing Leclerc for the lead of the race with three laps to go.[140] This marked the first Honda-powered race victory since the2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.[141][142] InBritain, Verstappen, running in third place,[143] was hit from behind during an overtake attempt by Sebastian Vettel and spun into the gravel. Verstappen was able to continue and crossed the line in fifth place.[144]
The wet and chaoticGerman Grand Prix began similarly to the race in Austria for Verstappen, as a poor start caused him to fall behind. However, he would inherit the lead midway through the race after a crash by race leader Hamilton.[145] Verstappen would go on to extend his lead after the track began to dry, claiming his second victory of the season.[146] InHungary, he claimed his maidenpole position—becoming thefirst Dutch driver to do so—and led most of the race before being passed in the closing laps by Hamilton, who had made another stop for fresh tyres in a gamble to catch the leader.[147][148][149]
Before theBelgian Grand Prix, Verstappen received a new teammate in Alexander Albon after Pierre Gasly was demoted back to Toro Rosso.[150] In the race, Verstappen had a poor start and collided with Kimi Räikkönen at the first corner, resulting in suspension damage and causing Verstappen's first retirement of the season.[151] InItaly, he did not set a time during qualifying after his car lost power in Q1, but he was already required to start from the back of the grid due to an engine component penalty.[152] After damaging his front wing on the first lap, he recovered to finish the race in eighth place.[153] Third and fourth-place finishes followed inSingapore andRussia respectively.[154][155] After suffering damage in a first-lap collision with Charles Leclerc inJapan, Verstappen suffered his second retirement of the season.[156]
InMexico, he qualified in first place after setting the fastest lap-time of the session, before being handed a grid penalty for ignoringyellow flags after a crash by Valtteri Bottas.[157] Verstappen suffered a puncture early in the race after making contact with Bottas, falling to the back of the field before eventually recovering to sixth place.[158] A third-place finish in theUnited States followed, before Verstappen took the second pole position of his career with a 1:07.508 pole lap time inBrazil.[159][160] In a chaotic race, he passed Lewis Hamilton for the lead on two occasions before going on to claim his third victory of the season.[161] Verstappen ended the season with a second-place finish inAbu Dhabi.[162]
Verstappen finished the 2019 season in third place in the championship with 278 points. He claimed three race victories, nine podium finishes, two pole positions, and three fastest laps.[163]
Verstappen continued to race for Red Bull in2020, alongside Albon. At the2020 Austrian Grand Prix, he started second, but retired early in the race after a flywheel-related problem caused an electronic issue within the power unit.[164] Honda introduced countermeasures in response to the retirement.[165]
At the2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, he crashed in wet conditions during theformation lap while he was on his way to the starting grid,[166] but he was able to drive the car back to the grid where his mechanics fixed the suspension of the car in the short time that was left before the start of the race.[167] After the repairs, Verstappen progressed from seventh place on the grid to second place by the end of the race.[168] Verstappen won the70th Anniversary Grand Prix atSilverstone, having started from fourth.[169]
Verstappen clinched second place at theSpanish Grand Prix, after qualifying in third.[170] At the2020 Belgian Grand Prix, he scored a podium in third place, following his third place on the starting grid.[171] He suffered from two consecutive DNFs at theItalian andTuscan Grands Prix after which he lost second place in the Championship.[172][173] At theRussian Grand Prix, Verstappen finished the race in second, his seventh podium finish of 2020.[174] At theEifel Grand Prix, Verstappen finished in second after qualifying in third.[175] He also managed to get the fastest lap of the race.[176] At thePortuguese Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified third, however a poor first lap meant that he dropped back down the order to fifth place. He recovered to third and took his 40th podium in Formula 1.[177] At theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen looked set to claim second due toValtteri Bottas' ailing Mercedes slowing down, but a sudden puncture denied him any chance of a podium finish; Verstappen spun, resulting in his fourth retirement of the 2020 season.[178]
During Free Practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix, Verstappen was criticised for comments he made on the team radio after a collision withLance Stroll, where he used the words "retard" and "mongol" in response to the clash. Verstappen admitted following the session that the word choices he used were "not correct". The Mongolian government and the Mongol identity asked Verstappen to apologise for the comments; the Mongolian government also urged theFIA to take action on the comments he made.[179][180]
Verstappen finished the 2020 season in third place in the championship with 214 points. He claimed two race victories, eleven podium finishes, one pole position, and three fastest laps.[181]
2021: World Champion amid title battle vs. Hamilton
Verstappen at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix
At theBahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen topped all the practice sessions and subsequently took a career fourth pole position. This was the first time he achieved back-to-back pole positions.[182] He fought Lewis Hamilton for the race victory, and on lap 53 Verstappen overtook Hamilton, but went off track whilst doing so, resulting in him being instructed by race control to let Hamilton back into the lead and ultimately finishing second behind Hamilton.[183] At the next race, theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified third with teammateSergio Pérez second, marking the first time he was out-qualified by a teammate since the2019 Italian Grand Prix.[184] At the race start, Verstappen was able to pass both Pérez and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton to take the lead. He remained in the lead after the first round of pit stops as well as the restart, following the race being suspended on lap 33. Rival Hamilton finished second, reducing his championship lead over Verstappen to one point.[185] In the followingPortuguese Grand Prix, Verstappen finished second after a long battle with Lewis Hamilton.[186] At theSpanish Grand Prix, the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton continued, with Hamilton employing a faster two-stop strategy versus Verstappen's one-stop race. This provided Hamilton the advantage of faster tyres, allowing him to overtake Verstappen with several laps remaining in the race. Hamilton took the victory, with Verstappen taking second and the fastest lap, increasing Hamilton's championship lead to 14 points.[187]
At the next race inMonaco, Verstappen qualified second behindCharles Leclerc,[188] but Leclerc suffered a driveshaft failure on the way to the grid and was unable to start the race. Verstappen controlled the race from the front on the way to victory. Hamilton (who qualified seventh) finished seventh, though claiming an extra championship point by setting the fastest race lap. The result enabled Verstappen to become thefirst Dutch driver to lead the World Drivers' Championship,[189] by a margin of four points over Hamilton.[190] At theAzerbaijan Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified third behind Leclerc and Hamilton.[191] Verstappen and Hamilton passed Leclerc in the opening laps before Verstappen took the lead by way of a faster pitstop. Verstappen would comfortably hold the lead until lap 46 when he suffered a tyre failure causing him to crash at high speed and retire.[192] A mistake by Hamilton on the restart dropped him to last place, meaning Verstappen maintained his championship lead.[193] Verstappen took pole for theFrench Grand Prix.[194] Verstappen's mistake on the first lap allowed Hamilton to take the lead which Verstappen retook during the pit stop phase. Verstappen pitted for a second time from the lead and set after the Mercedes duo, overtaking Hamilton for the lead on lap 52 of 53.[195] He also took the fastest lap point, extending his championship lead to twelve points[196] and achieving the firsthat-trick of his career.[197] Verstappen clinched pole position again at theStyrian Grand Prix and led the race from start to finish, to give him his fourth win of the season and further extend his lead to 18 points.[198]
Verstappen took pole position at theAustrian Grand Prix, led every lap from start to finish, set the fastest lap, and won the race for his first careergrand slam,[199][200] being the youngest to do so.[201] With the win, Verstappen also became the first driver to win three races in three consecutive weekends, starting at the French Grand Prix on 20 June, then the Styrian Grand Prix on 27 June and ending with the Austrian Grand Prix on 4 July.[202][203] At the next race; theBritish Grand Prix, Verstappen was involved in a high-speed collision at theCopse corner with Hamilton on the first lap. This resulted in a 51g (500 m/s2; 1,600 ft/s2) impact with the barrier.[204][205] He was taken to the Silverstone circuit's medical centre after the crash and was then taken to Coventry hospital for precautionary checks and further assessment, before eventually being discharged at 22:00 local time on Sunday night.[206] Hamilton would go on to win the race, reducing Verstappen's lead in the championship to eight points.[207] At the next race, theHungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen's car suffered damage in a multi-car collision on lap 1, where Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was deemed at fault. He ended the race in tenth which was promoted to ninth after Sebastian Vettel was disqualified. The outcome of the race allowed Hamilton to take the lead of the championship.[208]
Following the summer break, Verstappen qualified on pole at theBelgian Grand Prix, ahead of Williams driverGeorge Russell in second and Lewis Hamilton in third.[209] The race was run for three laps, all behind the safety car, with the race official race results taken from the running order at the end of the first lap, with Hamilton and Verstappen both retaining their qualifying positions. As less than 75% of the race distance was completed, half points were awarded, resulting in Verstappen closing the gap to Hamilton to three points.[210] At theDutch Grand Prix Verstappen again qualified on pole, beating Hamilton by 0.038 seconds.[211] During the race Verstappen was able to fend off attacks from both Mercedes drivers to take the win, taking the lead in the Drivers' Championship by three points.[212] For theRussian Grand Prix, Verstappen was required to start at the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit components.[213] He made his way back up the field, and after taking an early pit stop for intermediate tyres late in the race, he finished second.[214] At theTurkish Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified second with Bottas on pole.[215] With the race being run in wet conditions and the drivers on intermediate tyres the whole race, Verstappen finished second behind Bottas, taking the lead in the Drivers' Championship by six points as Hamilton finished fifth.[216]
Verstappen battling with Lewis Hamilton for the lead at the 2021 United States Grand Prix
At theUnited States Grand Prix, Verstappen took pole position in qualifying, edging Hamilton by 0.209 seconds.[217] Verstappen won the race and extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to twelve points as Hamilton finished second with the fastest lap.[218] At the2021 Mexico City Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified third with a gap to pole-sitter Bottas of 0.350 seconds.[219] Verstappen's main rival Hamilton qualified second. At the start, Verstappen took the lead from Bottas and Hamilton into turn 1, and won the race; and as a result extended his lead in the championship to 19 points.[220]
Verstappen and Hamilton each entered the final round of the championship—theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix atYas Marina—on exactly 369.5 points, with Verstappen leading on countback.[221] Verstappen qualified on pole position by nearly four-tenths of a second, but had a slow start and lost the lead to Hamilton into turn one.[citation needed] He attempted to re-pass Hamilton at turn six, who controversially cut the track and maintained the lead without penalty; the stewards deemed no advantage was gained, amidst Verstappen and Red Bull's complaints.[citation needed] Verstappen was trailing Hamilton by over 10 seconds until a safety car was called with five laps remaining, following a crash involvingNicholas Latifi.[citation needed] The withdrawal of the safety car and subsequent resumption of the race with one lap remaining was met with further controversy; race directorMichael Masi only allowed a certain number of lapped cars through, saving time to allow the race to be restarted once the track had been cleared.[citation needed] Verstappen passed Hamilton at turn five of the final lap of the race to become thefirst World Drivers' Champion from the Netherlands and the34th overall.[222][223] Mercedes protested and stated intention to appeal the race results, arguing all lapped cars should have been allowed to pass under the regulations, but Red Bull counter-argued that this was not specified in the regulations with the word "any" used as opposed to "all".[224] The protest was subsequently rejected, confirming Verstappen as the World Drivers' Champion; the FIA amended the wording of the rule from 2022 onwards.[225] Verstappen was named the best driver of the season byAutosport andThe Race,[226][227] whilst also topping official polls of fellow drivers and team principals.[228][229]Mark Hughes ofMotor Sport also ranked Verstappen first, describing his season as a "stunning combination of speed and racecraft, totally fearless, incredible tenacity and ability to comeback from adversity".[230]
In March 2022, Verstappen signed a five-year contract extension with Red Bull Racing for the 2023 to 2028 seasons.[1] From this season onward, he would use the number 1 instead of his regular number 33 as the reigning world champion.[231]
Verstappen retired from second place at the season-openingBahrain Grand Prix with a fuel system issue. He won theSaudi Arabian Grand Prix, having benefited from a pit stop during safety car conditions to pass teammate and pole-sitter Pérez, but suffered another fuel-related retirement from second place at theAustralian Grand Prix. This left him 46 points behind championship leader Charles Leclerc after three races. Verstappen responded by winning the next three races; he achieved sprint victory and agrand slam at theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix,[232] won from third on the grid at theMiami Grand Prix and gained from Leclerc's retirement at theSpanish Grand Prix to lead the Drivers' Championship. Further wins came at theAzerbaijan Grand Prix, where Leclerc again retired, and from pole position at theCanadian Grand Prix. Verstappen qualified second at theBritish Grand Prix, but floor damage from running over debris harmed his pace and resulted in a seventh-place finish.[233] He took pole position at theAustrian Grand Prix and won the sprint, but was overtaken by Leclerc in the race and finished second, reducing his championship lead over Leclerc to 38 points.
Following this, Verstappen went on to win five races consecutively. Pole-sitter Leclerc crashed out of theFrench Grand Prix, allowing Verstappen to win. Power unit issues meant he qualified tenth for theHungarian Grand Prix,[234] but overtakes in the opening laps and pit stopundercuts meant he went on to take victory, despite briefly losing the lead after a spin.[235] He set the fastest qualifying time at theBelgian Grand Prix but was demoted to 14th on the grid with a power unit components penalty. Despite this, he progressed to the race lead by lap 12 and went on to win.[236] He took pole position and his 30th race victory at his home race, theDutch Grand Prix, and then won from seventh on the grid at theItalian Grand Prix.
Verstappen's winning streak was ended at theSingapore Grand Prix. He ran out of fuel in qualifying and started the race eighth.[237] He lost places at the start and later had to make an extra pit stop due to a tyre lock-up, finishing seventh. Victory from pole at the shortenedJapanese Grand Prix gave him a 113-point lead in the standings with four races remaining, securing him his second World Drivers' Championship.[238] He won the next two races, theUnited States andMexico City Grands Prix, finished sixth at theSão Paulo Grand Prix after a collision with Lewis Hamilton, and won the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole.
Abu Dhabi was his fifteenth victory of the year, breaking the record of thirteen race wins in a season shared by Michael Schumacher in2004 and Sebastian Vettel in2013. He won the championship with 454 points, beating Lewis Hamilton's2019 record of 413.[239]
Verstappen remained with Red Bull alongside Sergio Pérez for the 2023 season. His season began with a win from pole at theBahrain Grand Prix. A driveshaft failure in qualifying at theSaudi Arabian Grand Prix resulted in a 15th-place start, but he gained positions in the race to finish second behind Pérez.[240] He again won from pole at theAustralian Grand Prix despite losing positions to the Mercedes drivers during the race,[241] but finished second to Pérez, who made a safety car pit stop, at theAzerbaijan Grand Prix.[242]
After this began Verstappen's record-breaking win streak. He started ninth at theMiami Grand Prix asred flags in qualifying aborted his lap but passed the drivers ahead including pole-sitter Pérez to win. The next four races, theMonaco,Spanish,Canadian andAustrian Grands Prix, were won comfortably from pole position by Verstappen, including Red Bull's 100th victory in Canada[243] and a sprint win in Austria. He took pole at theBritish Grand Prix but briefly lost the lead toLando Norris at the start before regaining the position to win. He qualified 0.003 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton at theHungarian Grand Prix, but overtook him at the first corner and went on to take victory. He claimed pole and the win in theBelgian Grand Prix sprint and set the fastest qualifying time, but started the race sixth due to an engine component penalty. He went on to overtake Pérez to win the race. He won from pole at the rain-affectedDutch Grand Prix and was victorious again at theItalian Grand Prix despite qualifying behind Carlos Sainz Jr. This victory marked his tenth consecutive win, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record of nine from 2013,[244][245] and Red Bull's fifteenth consecutive win, a record previously held byMcLaren with eleven in1988.
Both Red Bulls were eliminated in Q2 at theSingapore Grand Prix and were unable to make an impression in the race, with Verstappen and Pérez finishing fifth and eighth respectively, ending the winning streak.[246] This would be the only break in Verstappen's success, as he went on to win the remaining seven races of the season. His victory from pole at theJapanese Grand Prix gave Red Bull their sixth Constructors' Championship title.[247] He clinched his third World Drivers' Championship title at theQatar Grand Prix sprint despite finishing second toOscar Piastri,[248] then won the race from pole. He won theUnited States Grand Prix despite having started sixth due to a lap time deletion in qualifying. He qualified behind both Ferraris at theMexico City Grand Prix but passed both drivers to claim the win. He took pole and victory at theSão Paulo Grand Prix and won the sprint having overtook pole-sitterLando Norris at the first turn. He started behind Charles Leclerc at theLas Vegas Grand Prix and received a penalty for forcing him off the track, but Verstappen reclaimed the lead to win.
His pole and victory at the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix was his nineteenth win of the year, breaking his own record of fifteen from 2022. He scored 575 points, more than double that of second-placed Pérez and beating his own points-scoring record from 2022.
2024: Fourth title amid struggles at Red Bull
Verstappen (pictured during theAustrian Grand Prix) won seven of the opening 10 rounds in 2024.
Verstappen began the2024 season with his fifth career grand slam at theBahrain Grand Prix[249] and followed this with another pole and victory at theSaudi Arabian Grand Prix, his 100th Formula One podium.[250] He took pole again at theAustralian Grand Prix but retired on lap 4, his first retirement since the2022 edition of the race, with a brake fire, ending his nine-race winning streak and 43 race-finishing streak.[251] This was followed by a pole and win at theJapanese Grand Prix.[252] He won the sprint at theChinese Grand Prix after starting fourth,[253] then claimed pole and victory in the race.[254] He took another sprint win at theMiami Grand Prix[255] and started on pole position, but lost the lead to Lando Norris during the pit stops and was unable to reclaim the place, finishing the race second.[256] He matchedAyrton Senna's record of eight consecutive poles at theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix[257] and converted this into his fifth victory of the season. His pole streak ended at theMonaco Grand Prix where he qualified and finished sixth; Verstappen commented that hisRB20 was losing time to its rivals in low-speed corners.[258]
Verstappen and George Russell set identical lap times in qualifying at theCanadian Grand Prix, but Russell started on pole position as he had set the lap time first.[259] Both drivers were overtaken by Norris, but Verstappen later passed Russell then gained the lead from Norris during the pit stops to claim his 60th race win.[260] He qualified second behind Norris at theSpanish Grand Prix but passed him at the start and then overtook Russell to win for the seventh time in 2024.[261] Verstappen won the sprint from pole at theAustrian Grand Prix[262] and then qualified fastest for the main race.[263] He led most of the race but was challenged by Norris in the closing laps before the two drivers collided; Verstappen was handed a time penalty for causing the collision and finished the race fifth.[264] He later commented that the crash did not affect his close friendship with Norris.[265] He qualified fourth at theBritish Grand Prix and passed Norris in the closing laps to finish second behind Lewis Hamilton.[266] He started third at theHungarian Grand Prix but collided with Hamilton and went on to finish fifth. He criticised his team's race strategy and suggested that the RB20 was now behind the race-winningMcLaren MCL38 on pace.[267] Verstappen qualified fastest at theBelgian Grand Prix but started outside the top ten due to an engine component penalty.[268] He recovered positions and was classified fourth in the race,[269] extending his lead in the championship to 78 points over Norris going into the summer break.[270]
Verstappen led 17 laps and finished second to rival Norris at theDutch Grand Prix.
At his home race, theDutch Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified second behind Norris and gained the lead at the first corner, but was later overtaken by Norris and finished second.[271] He qualified and finished outside the top four at both theItalian andAzerbaijan Grands Prix,[272] after which Red Bull lost the lead of the Constructors' Championship to McLaren.[273] He then finished second to Norris at theSingapore Grand Prix, reducing his championship advantage to 52 points.[274] Verstappen described his car as "fucked" at the official press conference in Singapore, for which he received a punishment from the FIA to "accomplish some work of public interest".[275] He responded by hosting an impromptu media session outside the press conference room in protest,[276] and later suggested that the decision could push him to leave the sport.[277] He won the sprint at theUnited States Grand Prix and was classified third in the race ahead of Norris, who was penalised for overtaking Verstappen off-track.[278] This extended Verstappen's championship lead for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix. He started second at theMexico City Grand Prix but received 20 seconds worth of penalties for his driving during a battle for position with Norris, resulting in a sixth-place finish, reducing his championship lead to 47 points.[279]
I mean honestly [Russell and Norris] could have got a 10-second penalty and [Verstappen] could have won by 30 seconds but it didn't matter. He was so calm about it; he was calculating. Every time he made a passing move. I mean he was exemplary. For me, this was a masterclass of how a racing driver reaches the pinnacle of his career and becomes a four-time World Champion.
Verstappen was classified fourth in theSão Paulo Grand Prix sprint after receiving avirtual safety car infringement penalty,[281] and started the race from 17th following an engine penalty, whilst Norris qualified on pole. He gained seven positions on the opening lap, with further places obtained via several crucial overtakes, as well as surviving the worsening conditions on his intermediate tyres until thered flag period.[282] Following this—and his overtake for the lead on Ocon—Verstappen set ten of the eleven fastest laps of the race, with his quickest being 1.045 seconds quicker than any of his rivals;[283] he won by a 19-second margin, increasing his championship lead to 62 points.[284] Verstappen was lauded by drivers and critics for his drive;[285][286][287] Giles Richards ofThe Guardian opined that his performance was "worthy of recognition in thepantheon of Formula One's wet-weather drives", describing him as aregenmeister (lit.'rain master').[288] By finishing ahead of Norris at the subsequentLas Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen secured his fourth world title with two races remaining.[289] Winning eight Grands Prix in all, Andrew Benson ofBBC Sport proclaimed it as a "towering achievement from a driver recognised as one of the all-time greats of Formula 1", describing his season as "almost flawless" whilst "not [having] the best car for the majority".[290] Verstappen won theQatar Grand Prix, leading every lap after having his pole position stripped for driving unnecessarily slowly in qualifying; the incident led to a widely publicised feud withGeorge Russell. After the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen became the first driver to win a title driving for a third-placed team in theWorld Constructors' Championship sinceNelson Piquet in1983.[291]
2025: Challenger to McLaren
Verstappen received widespread acclaim for his surprise victory at theJapanese Grand Prix in2025, ahead of bothMcLaren drivers.
Red Bull trailedMcLaren for performance into2025, with Verstappen finishing second at the season-openingAustralian Grand Prix after battlingLando Norris andOscar Piastri for the lead in wet conditions.[292] He claimed third in the sprint and fourth in the main race inChina amidst tyre wear and performance struggles with theRB21, whilst new teammateLiam Lawson finished outside the points; Verstappen claimed Red Bull had also dropped behindFerrari andMercedes, as Lawson was replaced byYuki Tsunoda.[293][294] He received widespread acclaim for his surprise pole position at theJapanese Grand Prix,[295] before holding off both McLaren drivers to claim his first victory of the year;[296] Andrew Benson ofBBC Sport described it as "a weekend of the sort of rare perfection that comes only from drivers of the very highest quality".[297] He finished sixth inBahrain amidst further performance andpit stop struggles, prompting Red Bull to hold crisis talks over his future.[298] He returned to pole inSaudi Arabia, where he finished second after receiving a penalty for a first-corner incident with Piastri.[299] Verstappen finished fourth in theMiami sprint, demoted to seventeenth following a penalty for an unsafe pit release;[300] he took pole for the main race, ultimately finishing fourth.[301]
Verstappen won theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix after a first-lap overtake on Piastri intoVariante Tamburello, which was widely hailed as one of his greatest.[302] His fourth-place inMonaco was followed by tenth inSpain, where he was penalised for an intentional collision withGeorge Russell as he fell out of contention for the victory;[303][304] the pairfinished 1–2 inCanada, with Verstappen second.[305] After qualifying seventh for theAustrian Grand Prix, Verstappen retired after being hit byKimi Antonelli on the first lap;[306] 61 points behind championship leader Piastri, Verstappen admitted his fifth title challenge was "case closed".[307] He took another pole at theBritish Grand Prix on a low-downforce setup, before ceding the lead to Piastri and spinning during asafety car restart in wet-weather conditions; he recovered to fifth and criticised his lack ofgrip.[308] He won theBelgium sprint after a first-lap overtake on Piastri and claimed fourth in the Grand Prix.[309] He dropped to ninth inHungary before finishing second to Piastri at theDutch Grand Prix, dropping him 104 points behind.[310][311] His pole lap inItaly was thefastest in Formula One history,[312] where he overcame early opposition from Norris to win the Grand Prix by over 19 seconds in record speed.[313] He claimed agrand chelem with his 14-second victory at theAzerbaijan Grand Prix, before finishing second to Russell inSingapore. His back-to-back victories in theUnited States sprint and Grand Prix reduced his deficit to 40 points. He recovered from fifth to third inMexico City with aone-stop strategy. Finishing fourth from sixth at theSão Paulo sprint, Verstappen qualified sixteenth for the main race, his lowest qualifying position - excluding any penalties - since the2021 Russian Grand Prix, which he chose not to run any qualifying laps for due to impending engine and grid penalties. Red Bull started him from the pit lane after changing his engine inparc fermé; surviving an early puncture, he climbed up to third in the race to draw ever closer to the championship lead. Verstappen won atLas Vegas with both McLarens being disqualified post-race. This moved him level on points with Piastri and 24 behind championship leader Norris.
Following Verstappen's maiden pole position at the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix, former Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg described him as the fastest driver in Formula One. Rosberg elucidated that Verstappen did not have the fastest car during the qualifying session in Hungary, emphasising that it was Verstappen's raw speed that allowed him to secure pole position: "Mercedes still had the fastest car, and it's just Verstappen with his driving that put it up there in pole."[314]
In 2019, former Formula One World ChampionJenson Button stated that he believes Verstappen is the fastest Formula One driver ever: "I think he is the fastest driver that has ever driven an F1 car. I really do, I think he is unbelievably fast."[315] Journalist Scott Mitchell fromThe Race commented: "When everything comes together, Verstappen is the quickest driver in F1 over one lap, but the odd mistake and scruffy session must be eliminated."[316] Helmut Marko, the advisor to theRed Bull GmbH Formula One teams, stated that Verstappen is the fastest driver Red Bull have ever had.[317][318]
In 2021, three-time Formula One World ChampionJackie Stewart claimed that Verstappen is the fastest driver in Formula One, but he also added that Verstappen is still in the "puppy stage" of his career.[319]Peter Windsor, an experienced Formula One journalist, expressed Verstappen's ability to change direction "quicker than anybody else" through the high-speed section Maggots and Becketts: Silverstone's fastest sequence of corners. Windsor stressed that Verstappen's lightning-quick change of direction is a result of the innate feel he has for creating the "perfect platform" to achieve what he wants with the car during a lap. He is intrinsically able to create, for "a trillionth of a second", a minuscule "flat area" between the left and the right of a change of direction ahead of him, in order to attain a stable balance with the car before applying the next steering and throttle input.[320]Scuderia AlphaTauri's team principal,Franz Tost, declared Verstappen to be the fastest driver in Formula One; following the Dutchman's "really deserved" maiden title triumph in 2021.[321] After winning the2024 World Drivers' Championship in the third-placedRB20, James Elson ofMotor Sport stated "if there was any doubt beforehand, 2024 proved that Max Verstappen is F1's best driver", adding that "not only the fastest, capable of creating one-lap magic, he knows how to produce all it takes to win in the race too".[322]
Verstappen received widespread acclaim for his surprise pole lap at the2025 Japanese Grand Prix,[295] with Andrew Benson ofBBC Sport commenting that "many F1 observers regarded [Verstappen's qualifying lap] as one of the greatest of all time".[323]
Former Formula One driverEddie Irvine praised Verstappen, stating that he is "by far the most dominant team leader on the grid." Irvine highlighted that Verstappen "has had many different second drivers in the team and none of them have got close to him."[324] During the 2020 season, Jenson Button stated that he does not "think there's been a driver that's annihilated their teammates like he [Verstappen] has in a very long time."[325] Motorsport columnist and former Formula One driverJolyon Palmer, commented that Verstappen's maiden World Championship triumph could usher in a "new era of dominance" in the sport. Palmer wrote:
[Verstappen's] qualifying pace is frightening and has been the basis for this title-charging campaign. He's had the most pole positions of anyone with 10 – almost half of the races, and it would have been half had he completed his mesmeric Jeddah lap, which ended up being possibly Max's biggest error in a near-perfect season. For a driver who has demolished three successive team mates in three years and made only a handful of small mistakes in that time, you question what scope their [sic] even is for improvement – but if he can take his game onto another level from here, we could be about to see the start of a new era of dominance.[326]
Journalist Scott Mitchell expounded the reason why the Dutchman's teammates have fallen short "even with the data". Mitchell wrote: "Verstappen drives mainly on intuition, and that comes from years of training and preparation. He has a database in his head which he can use immediately. Even with data, Gasly and Albon could see where he was faster, but they could never grasp how he was faster there. That's because what makes Verstappen so good is mainly unconscious." According to Mitchell, those years of training and driving on his intuition has made it impossible for other drivers to measure up to Verstappen.[327]
Helmut Marko asserted that Verstappen's progress has moved him clear of his former Formula 1 team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, in both qualifying and race trim. "There is specific data," Marko toldAutosport, "In qualifying the gap to Ricciardo is greater. The strange thing is Max sometimes slides more, but still manages to keep the tyres alive." Verstappen previously mentioned that he was three or four-tenths faster on average than "very fast qualifier" Daniel Ricciardo.[328] Marko concluded that then 20-year-old Verstappen "clearly moved away" from Ricciardo since the "second half of the 2018 season."[329]
Following his maiden Formula One win, at the2016 Spanish Grand Prix, three-time World Drivers' ChampionNiki Lauda described Verstappen as the "talent of the century."[330] Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that Verstappen is the best driver Red Bull have ever seen: "I have no doubt [Verstappen is] the best we have seen on one of our cars, in terms of outright raw ability and commitment. He's the best driver we've seen."[331]
Gerhard Berger echoed2009 World Drivers' ChampionJenson Button's comments, anointing Max Verstappen as the Formula One driver of this era with the most raw talent. Speaking toSport1, Berger ventured: "When it comes to raw talent, Max Verstappen is the most talented of all. But it's not just about raw talent, it's about the whole package. That means it's not just about setting the fastest laps but also to win a race. And not just [about] one race but many and eventually a championship, and championships."[332]
Two-time World Drivers' ChampionFernando Alonso commented that Verstappen is the standout driver in Formula One, declaring him to be "one step ahead" of everyone. Alonso noted that Verstappen deserved to win the2021 Formula One World Championship, ahead of the title decider that saw Verstappen andLewis Hamilton enter level on points: "Mercedes lately have been more performing and they've won a couple of races now, but Max is driving—in my opinion—one step ahead of all of us. We saw the [qualifying] lap in Jeddah, until he touched the wall at the last corner, that lap was coming from Max, not the Red Bull."[333]Karun Chandhok likened Verstappen's ruthless and uncompromising attitude in race combat to seven-time World Drivers' ChampionMichael Schumacher.[334] By2025, Andrew Benson ofBBC Sport opined that Verstappen was "regarded by almost everyone in [Formula One] as the best driver in the world".[335]
Following Verstappen being given a warning for his driving conduct at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, the 18-year-old received the backing of then three-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who commented: "firstly, give the guy a break, he is 18 years old. What the frickin' heck were any of us doing at 18?"[336]
Despite earning high praise and acclaim from Formula One drivers and experts in and out of the sport, Verstappen faced criticism in the wake of the penalties he incurred during the2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Following this race, former Formula One driverMartin Brundle wrote: "Such is [his] car control and cunning, he's sometimes able to pull off the audacious moves and leave a margin of doubt as to whether it's hard racing or simply a professional foul outside of the regulations and it's those moments which are generating the confusion, controversies and inconsistencies.Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had their faults too, and I was on the receiving end from both of them on occasions, but it's a sizeable dent on their immense reputations, not a positive."[337] Following an impressive first half of the 2022 season, journalistDavid Tremayne claimed Verstappen had elevated himself to a new higher level compared to his 2021 title winning season, suggesting Verstappen's first title had made him more relaxed and "chirpy".[338]
Following the2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, Verstappen received widespread condemnation from fans and media for incidents involving title rivalLando Norris, for which he received 20 seconds worth of time penalties.[339] Many commentators and former drivers likened his tactics and 'win-at-all-costs' attitude to those of Senna and Schumacher,[340][341] whilst1996 World Drivers' ChampionDamon Hill characterised them as reminiscent ofWacky Races antagonistDick Dastardly.[342] Before the following race inSão Paulo, Verstappen criticised the alleged British bias in the media, stating "I have the wrong passport".[343] Upon his victory from 17th on the grid in the rain-affected race, he stated in the post-race press conference "I appreciate all of you being here, but I don't see any British press. Do they have to run to the airport, or [do they not] know where the press conference is?"[344]
Verstappen has accumulated a significant fanbase from around the world, particularly from his home country of the Netherlands. The frequent association of Verstappen with the colourorange—thenational colour of the Netherlands—has led to his fanbase being referred to as theOrange Army.[345][346]
Several races across Europe have dedicated Verstappengrandstands to accommodate thousands of travelling Dutch fans, boosting ticket sales at Grands Prix such as inBelgium,Austria andHungary.[347] A Verstappen grandstand featured at the inauguralLas Vegas Grand Prix in2023.[348]
During the2021 Dutch Grand Prix, the managing director ofHonda in Formula One,Masashi Yamamoto [ja], praised Verstappen's support, stating that "in the six years I've been involved with Honda F1, I've never seen such a great turnout as at the Dutch Grand Prix. It was like being in a football stadium."[349]
The fan-made song "Super Max!", performed by thePitstop Boys [nl] in 2016, went viral after his victory at the2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, topping theSpotifyViral 50 chart in the Netherlands and reaching number two in the United Kingdom.[352] Another fan-madeEDM track "33 Max Verstappen", was released in 2023, eventually going viral on social media due tointernet memes referencing the hook: "tu tu tu du, Max Verstappen".[353][354]
In January 2024, Verstappen drove theFerrari 296 GT3 at thePortimão, as part of a two-day test withDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters teamEmil Frey Racing alongsideThierry Vermeulen,[357] who competed under theVerstappen.com Racing banner in2023.[358] Team principal Lorenz Frey-Hilti stated "there were also otherGT3 cars that day, but I can only say that Verstappen was driving on a different level than the rest. There are good drivers who cannot shine in a GT3 car due to a lack of experience, but Max is different. If something has four wheels, then [he's fast in it]", adding that he was "world-class".[359]
In September 2025, he made his competitive debut on theNordschleife in the seventh round forLionspeed GP, completing the laps required for a GT3 permit in ahorsepower-restrictedPorsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS as he finished seventh in-class.[365] Later the same month, Verstappen made his GT3 race debut and won. He drove forEmil Frey Racing, racing aFerrari 296 GT3 withChris Lulham in theNürburgring Endurance Series.[366] This start also made Max Verstappen the first defending Formula One World Champion to simultaneously compete in Formula One and another racing series sinceKeke Rosberg, who made a one-off appearance in the1983 World Sportscar Championship, also at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.[citation needed] After qualifying third, Verstappen, who drove the first stint, passed two cars and began to create a gap of over a minute. Verstappen handed the car to teammate Lulham for the second stint; Lulham crossed the line to win the race for the team, 24 seconds ahead of the car in second place.[367]
Sim racing
In his free time, Verstappen competes insim racing. Verstappen stated that it helps him with his real-life racing, keeping him "ready to go".[368] Since 2015, Verstappen has been a member ofTeam Redline, a British-Luxembourgish multinational professional sim racing team.[369][370]
Verstappen has competed in several marquee events oniRacing since February 2019, when he entered theBathurst 12 Special Event—a 12-hour virtual teamendurance race—alongsideLando Norris.[371] The pair won theSpa 24 Special Event in July.[372] Verstappen won thePetit Le Mans Special Event in October 2020.[373] Later that year,Haas driver andR8G eSports founderRomain Grosjean deemed Verstappen to be the "fastest" driver in sim racing.[374] He entered the eighth round of the 2023AMX Global League atImola, winning the first heat.[375]
Verstappen entered theDaytona 24 Special Event in January 2024, winning theGTD class with Redline.[376] In May, Verstappen received media attention for entering theNürburgring 24 Special Event on the same weekend as theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix;[377] he won both events, achieving arecord-equalling eighth consecutive pole position at the latter. Following his victory at the former, Ed Hardy ofAutosport opined that Verstappen had "firmly established himself as one of the best sim racers in the world".[375] Verstappen won his secondSpa 24 Special Event in July that year, completing a perfect season of 24-hour special events.[378]
Verstappen holdsdual Dutch and Belgian citizenship, and decided to compete with a Dutch racing licence, as his fatherJos did. He stated in 2014 that he "feels more Dutch", having spent more time with his father than with his mother during his childhood, as well as his upbringing inMaaseik, a Belgian town at the Dutch border.[8] The following year, Verstappen added that he "actually only lived in Belgium to sleep", and that he "was raised as a Dutch person and that's how [he feels]".[385] In 2022, Verstappen stated that he appreciates both sides and is "half-half at the end of the day".[386] In addition to hisnative Dutch, he is fluent in English andGerman, with limited proficiency inFrench.[387]
Verstappen's former aircraft (PH-DTF) atLuton Airport in 2022
He competed in Formula One for over a season before obtaining a road driving licence on his 18th birthday.[388] Verstappen moved toMonaco in October 2015 where he has lived ever since.[389] In November 2020, Verstappen bought aDassault Falcon 900EX aircraft fromVirgin Galactic. The aircraft,registered PH-DTF, was operated by Exxaero.[390] In January 2025, he acquired a Mangusta GranSport 33 yacht, namedUnleash the Lion.[391] The following month, he sold the Falcon 900EX and purchased aDassault Falcon 8X, registered PH-UTL, which is also operated by Exxaero.[392]
Verstappen has been dating Brazilian-Dutch modelKelly Piquet, daughter of three-time World Drivers' ChampionNelson Piquet, since October 2020.[395][396] They had their first daughter in April 2025.[397]
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. * Season still in progress.
^abCornelissen, Marc (17 August 2014)."Geen rijbewijs, wel in de F1" [No driver's licence, yet in F1].Nieuwsblad.be (in Dutch).Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved12 December 2014.Max heeft een Belgische moeder, is geboren in Hasselt, woont in Bree en reist met een Belgisch paspoort. Genetisch en cultureel is hij Belgischer dan de gemiddelde Rode Duivel. Maar racen doet hij met een Nederlandse licentie. 'Ik heb heel mijn leven in België gewoond, maar ik voel meer Nederlander. Door al dat karten trek ik meer met mijn vader op dan met mijn moeder. Ik zit gewoon altijd tussen de Nederlanders. [Max has a Belgian mother, was born in Hasselt, lives in Bree, and travels with a Belgian passport. From a genetic and cultural perspective, he's more Belgian than the average Red Devil. Yet he competes with a Dutch racing licence. 'I have lived in Belgium my entire life, but I consider myself more Dutch. As a result of my karting activities I spend more time with my father than with my mother. I'm always surrounded by Dutch people.']
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